10 TIPS
TO IMPROVE STORYTELLING
IN YOUR 3D SCENES
BY DAVID CHAN
HI
FROM TORONTO
Hello, I’m David!
I am currently a lead artist at Ubisoft Toronto. I’ve worked in the games industry for over 14 years. In my journey I’ve worked for studios like Electronic
Arts, Warner Bros Games, Square Enix, Radical Entertainment and more. I have enjoyed every moment of it. Along the way I’ve developed tips and
techniques that have resonated or have stuck with me for many years.
My goal now as a lead is to help others who are studying to become a 3D artists, starting out in their careers or are industry professionals who want
another perspective or a refresher. I hope that my series of guidelines will be useful to many of you throughout your careers.
Please note that this PDF may receive updates should I discover better ways to approach environments. I will expand on this list in the future so if you
find this helpful please check back for updates.
Thank you. I sincerely hope this helps you on your next project!
DISCLAIMER
The purpose of this is to pass on learnings that I have developed over the years, which I practice both personally and professionally.
In the event these don’t work for you, know that these guidelines are of my own judgment and that I hold no responsibility for any undesired outcomes.
ONE
ESTABLISH AND DEFINE AN OVERALL THEME
This step is very important because everything else will follow this story. Your sub-stories in set dressing to the very last detail you put into your scene
will revolve around your main theme. Figure out a subject that interests you enough to bring it to fruition. I, for one, have always enjoyed sci-fi--whether
it is in space or underwater because of the great unknown. Because this area piqued my interest I was constantly motivated to keep learning about it as I
was building it.
Take some time to figure out a theme that interests you. If you are going to be spending a substantial amount of your time on it, make sure you enjoy it
and that it’s worth your while!
Why should I do this?
If you stay consistent with your theme all the way through, you will avoid mistakes like having your work feel generic. You’ll less likely be out for ideas
when it comes to adding more details. You should have more ideas than you are prepared to create and not the other way around! Trust me, it’s a good
problem to have. Lastly, having a strong theme with many great ideas to support it separates good work from outstanding work!
EXAMPLE
Before I started to block in my submarine model I looked up different types of
submersibles from leisure passenger subs to military AUVs (autonomous ones).
During my search I came across different sea creatures and that’s when I
thought of crayfish and lobsters. Growing up I actually had a few small blue
lobsters as pets so I decided to bring in some teenage nostalgia.
Giving your work some personal touch is always a good thing. even if the viewer
may not have any clue of this. Any reason to give yourself more motivation is
never a bad thing. Plus, it will increase the chances that you will complete your
project in a timely manner.
Bonus tip: A really great app that I use for viewing references is a program
called PureRef. It’s free to download but if you like their product I’m sure they
wouldn’t mind a donation. :)
TWO
SETTING A MOOD / COLOR PALETTE
Color is important in setting a mood as it instantly evokes a feeling.
Cooler and darker colors may give a feeling of calm, isolation or sadness, whereas warmer and brighter colors may give a feeling of happiness, optimism
or energy. There is a lot of depth in color so take some time to research this and choose what feeling you would like to evoke.
Another thing you can try and something I personally love to do is to juxtapose colors. I love the contrast of adding warm and cool colors side by side or
by transitioning them together to create tension. It makes things a little bit more interesting to look at!
EXAMPLE
As you can see with my lobster sub here, I chose cool tones with a pop of warm
for the focal elements like the submarine and the gemstones.
This is because the deep sea is cold, dark and mysterious and I wanted to
capture a bit of that feeling.
THREE
ASK YOURSELF A LOT OF QUESTIONS
Know and own your story!
Once you have your theme set, start to ask yourself questions--a lot of questions. Asking yourself questions about what you are building can lead to
many great ideas and help improve the story you are trying to tell.
Write them down or store them on the notes app on your phone for quick access whenever you come up with an idea! It will all help you build a more
convincing art piece. If you don’t ask them you can be sure your viewers will be asking the same when they look at your work. Why not get ahead of that
and get some ideas along the way!
FOUR
STRONG FRAMING
To further enhance visual aesthetic, using a subject to frame your main subject adds to an interesting composition. Strong framing is key in leading the
viewer into your work. It also works to enhance your subject by highlighting or acting as a complement to it.
Some examples are through doorways, through rocks, through trees, and through windows.
FIVE
LEADING LINES
I enjoy photography and as a hobby, it has helped me improve composition in my 3D work personally and professionally. One strategy that I will share
today is leading lines.
Leading lines are exactly like what it sounds. It’s seeking out anything that can help point to your subject. Imagine a path or a road with a person standing
at the end of it. This is a basic example of it, but it’s one that is very clear. Sometimes it’s not so apparent when you first start your project but as you
continue to find your camera angle/s this is where you can introduce leading lines.
It can be as obvious or as subtle as you like it to be so have some fun with it!
Some examples are fences, roads, a series of lights, railroad tracks, or light rays.
EXAMPLE
As you can see with my scene here, I chose to go with a portrait render. I did this
for a couple of reasons:
1.
2.
To create a feeling of depth
I wanted to have the viewers eyes go from top to bottom leading you
down to the main subject
I also added some details to lead your eyes
1.
2.
3.
4.
Light rays point downward to the submarines
If your eyes fall on the submarine in the distance, I positioned it in a
way that it points to the main submarine with subtle light rays from
that also pointing at the main subject.
Finally, I used arms and poles to lead the viewer to the gemstones that
are being extracted/observed.
SIX
GET FEEDBACK
Getting someone else's opinion is another way to get some fresh ideas to add to the story in your scene. But when is a good time to ask?
I find that a good time to start getting some feedback is when you have something blocked in and a rendering to show. Often times we are excited and
want to share an idea that is only an idea. The problem I find with that is the idea starts to become much larger in our head, which can result to the idea
being too daunting to build. Therefore, finding the right time is important. If you have other artist friends, colleagues or classmates show them your
work a few times throughout the production of your piece. A good guideline would be to show your work at the 30%, 60% and 90% progress marks. This
way you will still have enough time to add or modify things before reaching the end result.
There is no right or wrong here, these are just suggestions so if you need more or less show and tell sessions, adjust it to what works best for you!
SEVEN
BELIEVABILITY IN EVERYTHING YOU MAKE
Everything in your scene should tell their own little stories right down to the small details. Everything from mechanical arms and how they bend and
rotate, down to the head shape of the screws show thought into how it was constructed. The more functional they look the more believable they will be
for the viewer. In a natural setting, an example would be adding footprints that lead to areas of interest or adding grass or weeds around edges of
structures. These add to the story of things being untidy or unkept. The more details like these, the more stories and life it brings to your creations.
This ultimately means you need to do some research. Use search engines to gain knowledge on what you are building to make them as believable as
possible!
EIGHT
VARIETY IN YOUR DETAILS
It’s all in the details. Details help convince the viewer that whatever your scene is could happen! The more variety you have in your details the more
depth your story has.
If you’re creating an environment, it’s good to reuse assets but there is a limit. Try to hold back on repeating the same asset by creating more variations
of objects. A simple way to add variation is by swapping of textures or color variations.
For example: If you are creating a dirty back alley, limit the duplication of the same soda/beer can. A trained eye will pick that up immediately. Make 3-4
versions of the beer can with different colors and labels and in different conditions (broken, dirty, clean, crushed, etc.)
NINE
BRANDING / GRAPHIC DESIGN
Branding and graphic design work play a very important role in storytelling and is often times overlooked when working on a 3D project.
Branding adds an additional layer of personal touch or connection to your work. This is also where you can add little easter eggs like putting your pet’s
face on a soda can or putting your name or your favorite number on things in your scene. This not only adds a nice personal touch for you, it increases the
details and gives your artwork more depth and meaning.
Take the extra time to include this in your work and it will be worth your while. You may find that it’s more fun than you originally thought!
TEN
MY 25 PERCENT RULE
When you think you’re done - you are NOT done!
My general rule is when you think you’re done, invest an extra 25% of your time to improve on what you have made. If you spent 40 hours so far, spend
another 10 on it. Take a step back and observe your creation for a few days. I usually find myself tweaking something with lighting, framing, post work,
branding, or rendering improvements. SOMETHING. There is always something to improve on.
The 25% rule is flexible and you, the artist will have to establish what the right amount of extra time is to get your work in its ‘perfect’ state.
If you follow this rule, there is no possible way it can look worse than before you invested that extra time! ;)